


Letting People Close

by houseplantwithanxiety



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hinata Shouyou is a Good Friend, Hurt/Comfort, I Tried, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I really did, KageHina - Freeform, Kageyama Tobio Protection Squad, Kageyama Tobio-centric, Lonely Kageyama Tobio, M/M, Not Beta Read, Sad Kageyama Tobio, i just really love kags okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:41:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26482069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/houseplantwithanxiety/pseuds/houseplantwithanxiety
Summary: "You don't trust us! None of us know anything about you!"*Kageyama and Hinata get into a fight over a new attack which leads to some old memories resurfacing. Kageyama just wants his team to know how much he trusts them
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime & Kageyama Tobio, Kageyama Tobio & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Kageyama Tobio & Kindaichi Yuutarou, Kageyama Tobio & Kindaichi Yuutarou & Kunimi Akira, Kageyama Tobio & Kunimi Akira, Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 16
Kudos: 445





	Letting People Close

**Author's Note:**

> (Slight manga spoilers)
> 
> It might not entirely line up with the correct timeline, but I kinda just zoned out and when I came back to the real world this had been created.
> 
> Not canon compliant, but canon isn't gay so it it can kiss my writer ass.

Kageyama came home to silence. It was second nature to him now.

The house (he couldn't bring himself to call it 'home' anymore) didn't feel warm or comforting. It was empty, plain.

A few years ago, it was filled with the joyous laughter of his sister and grandfather as they sat at the table making faces at one another. They'd spend hours outside playing volleyball, absorbed in the game.

Kageyama could almost feel the way the ball fit his hands as he sent the ball to Miwa, could picture her determined smile clear as day. He could see the not-so graceful form of his grandfather as he leapt to block it, and he could faintly remember the feeling of pride as they managed to get past him. It brought a small smile to his face; they used to think beating a single blocker was such an accomplishment.

He treasured the memories of colourful moments, back when things were simple. When Kazuyo would take them for ice cream after school. When they'd all go out for a morning run together. When they'd laugh at each other's test scores and Kazuyo would halfheartedly lecture them. When his parents came home after a business trip and they'd all go out to dinner and laugh so hard that their drinks burst out their noses. When his whole life was filled with colour. 

But Miwa and Kazuyo were gone now, and his parents never came home. On the rare occasions he'd see them, they were cooped up in their office and barely even said a word to him. 

It was lonely.

The quiet hadn't phased him before, but Karasuno was eccentric and loud. They were supportive and rambunctious and funny and suddenly he was hyper-aware of how different he was from them. He'd always had trouble making friends, but it hadn't mattered. He'd had Kazuyo and Miwa, and that was all he needed. But Miwa had graduated and Kazuyo got sick, so he was left to fend for himself in junior high. 

It had started off fine.

*

_Tobio glanced around the hallways of his new school, having no idea where to go. The swarms of students was overwhelming, and they all seemed to know each other already. There was no point trying to talk to people, they'd only leave once they knew him. It's what always happened._

_"Hey, are you a first year?" Tobio jumped at the voice that interrupted his thoughts, and turned around to see who he assumed was a third year. "You look a little lost."_

_Tobio nodded and cleared his throat. "Can you tell me where the office is?"_

_The spiky-haired third year nodded and gestured for Tobio to follow him. "I'm Iwaizumi Hajime. Nice to meet you."_

_"Kageyama Tobio."_

_They reached the office and bid each other farewell. Tobio let out a sigh of relief, he had been worried he'd be late on his first day. He retrieved his class schedule and listened to the secretary's directions._

_His first day of classes had gone fine, and that's when he found himself in front of the infamous Kitagawa Daiichi Volleyball Gym. He'd looked forward to joining since his grandfather had told him about the school._

_He made friends with the other first-years, and together they had played. They moved completely in sync with one another and were a force to be reckoned with, even if they were only on the bench for now. He practiced hard, in hopes that one day, he'd be as good as their current starting setter, Oikawa Tooru. Tobio looked up to him for advice and technique, though the third year didn't particularly like him. It hadn't bothered Tobio, not many people did._

_Kindaichi and Kunimi soon became his best friends, and they'd started calling themselves a trio. Tobio couldn't have been happier; he had friends, upperclassmen and the chance to play volleyball. It was all he needed._

_But then his grandfather's condition worsened._

_He began staying later after practice and unknowingly distancing himself from the rest of the club. Throughout second year, he was in and out of the hospital visiting Kazuyo. Some days they would sit and watch volleyball games together, while other days he was too tired to even talk to Tobio, so he'd just sit next to the bed until the nurses told him to leave with an apologetic look._

_And halfway through his third year, his grandfather died._

_Miwa didn't call him to see if he was okay. That was fine, he told himself. She probably just needed time._

_Miwa didn't speak to him at the funeral. That was fine, he told himself. She was grieving too._

_Miwa moved in with her girlfriend and took all of her stuff with her. That was fine, he told himself. She found love, good for her!_

_Miwa left Tobio alone. That was fine, he told himself. He could manage. He had friends and he had volleyball, they could help distract him._

_His late-night practices became later-night practices. He ignored Kindaichi and Kunimi's warnings. He needed to get better. He would get better so Miwa and Kazuyo would be proud of him._

_The hours he slept were few and far between, and his head was filled volleyball. His grades began to slip, and his temper grew._

_The way the team had isolated him was subtle. He hadn't noticed it at first. Conversations became few, and any jokes cracked were awkward and forced at the best of times. They'd started calling him the Tyrant King behind his back. They stopped putting in as much effort during games. Some even flat-out refused to hit his sets altogether._

_Then came their last Middle School tournament. He'd faced off with an over-eager, confident captain of some small time school he'd never heard of before. His overall technique was atrocious, and he acted like he'd never seen a volleyball court before, but his reflexes were something else._

_He could have been tossing to someone like him this entire time?_

_The last game was hell. His entire team abandoned him and he was now publicly known as The King of the Court. He was sent to sit on the bench and watched as his closest friends replaced him like it was nothing. Was he really that expendable?_

_He didn't cry that day. He left the gym and ran home. The halls were harsh and unforgiving, grieving with the loss of old memories of what was once a family._

_He didn't cry as he arrived and locked the door._

_He didn't cry as he changed out of his uniform for the last time._

_He didn't cry when he was alone at graduation._

_He didn't cry as he tore up his Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa application letters._

_He did't cry as the people he considered brothers left him in the dirt without a second thought._

_He didn't cry as he was left alone again._

_It was only when he visited his grandfather's grave that he finally let the tears fall._

_"I'm sorry."_

*

But Karasuno was different. They didn't care what others called him. They didn't care he was a little irritable on occasions. They didn't care that he fought with Hinata sometimes. 

Thy had given him a chance at redemption, a chance to start over - and he was not going to screw it up.

Being a part of Karasuno was the best thing that had ever happened to him. They weren't just his team, they were his friends. They trusted him, and he trusted them. They helped him understand that he no longer had to feel alone, and helped show his former teammates (not friends, they'd been very clear about that) how much he'd improved since Kitagawa. 

He adjusted his tosses to how his team liked them. He worked with Sugawara to create and memorize signals to use in games. He'd stay late after practice with Hinata most nights, though he was becoming closer with him instead of pushing people away.

(Not that it was possible to get rid of Karasuno anyway, they'd wormed their way into his heart and made themselves a permanent fixture there. He wouldn't have it any other way.)

Though, trusting them on the court and trusting them with his personal life were two very different things. They didn't know he lived alone, that every supportive family member he ever had decided he wasn't good enough and abandoned him. They didn't know his parents never came home anymore, they didn't know that their complaints about "annoying siblings" only fueled the aching in his chest.

They didn't know he had panic attacks. They didn't know how much the mere thought of them abandoning him was too much to bear. They didn't know he didn't sleep most days. They didn't know he suppressed a flinch every time one of them yelled too loudly or made any sudden movements towards him. They didn't know how much they meat to him.

They had no idea, and he was never going to tell them.

Trusting was hard, especially with his track record. Not even Hinata knew more than 3 facts about him outside of volleyball, and he intended to keep it that way. He was content to keep to himself and just play volleyball with his friends (who he refused to acknowledge as family until he was absolutely sure it was safe to).

His entire came crumbling down one rainy day at practice. He and Hinata had been going back and forth for a while, and it was clear they were both becoming slightly riled up. Hinata had wanted to try yet another new quick attack strategy, and Tobio wasn't having it this close to a tournament. It didn't matter how hard they practiced, there was no way it could be done.

"Why won't you just try it?!" 

"Boke, it can't be done! There's no way we can learn an entirely new attack in a week!"

Hinata let out what could only be described as a growl. "Why won't you just admit that you don't trust me?!"

Oh, so he was going there, was he? As annoyed as that comment had made him, deep down it had stung. Hinata had hit really close to home, and had no idea how much one phrase could affect Tobio. Knowing his team didn't think he trusted them was like a stab through the heart. Didn't they understand that he trusted them with his entire being? More than he had trusted Kindaichi and Kunimi? More than he trusted himself?

He opened his mouth to tell him that was absolutely not the case, but Hinata kept going.

"You don't trust us! None of us know anything about you!" Hinata gripped his shirt collar and looked up at him with hurt in his eyes. "You never tell us anything!"

He tried to shake himself free of Hinata's grip, but he wasn't backing down. He was becoming progressively more uncomfortable with the direction this was going, and it would seem his teammates were curious too. None of them made a move to stop Hinata and they all seemed to wonder why the setter was so secretive all the time. He was frozen in place, and he feared that if it carried on for much longer, there was no way he could keep himself from revealing everything.

"Why do you expect us to sit here and just accept the fact that we'll never know what's going on inside your head?"

Kageyama fought back the tears threatening to spill. He hadn't cried in front of his team once and he wasn't going to start now. Especially not over some stupid comment Hinata had made to rile him up (even if it was working).

Seemingly annoyed at the lack of response, Hinata pulled Kageyama down to eye level to regain his attention.

"Why do you constantly refuse to let people close to you?!"

And with that, his confident facade broke. Screw it.

"Because trusting people always means being abandoned!" He ignored the shocked looks of his team at the sudden shout. "Letting people close to you always means you'll be hurt in the end! No one ever stays!" 

To hell with people thinking they know him.

To hell with Hinata's stupid accusations.

To hell with secrets.

To hell with pretending he was okay.

"In my experience, everyone who loves you is lying! Everyone who tells you they care is just being fake! People promise to accept you, to appreciate you, yet no one ever does!" The tears he tried so hard to withhold were flowing freely now. His vision was blurry and his eyes were red, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "They put up an act until you let down your guard! They wait until you need them the most and the they leave and never look back! That's just how life works!"

The sight of his team staring at him in disbelief, some even close to tears, was not enough to deter Kageyama. People leave, that's all he'd ever known. What was the point of letting people in if you knew it wasn't real? 

"Kageyama, this isn't middle school anymore." He didn't know who it was that spoke, but just as he was regaining his composure, everything came flooding out twice as hard.

"I know it's not middle school! Middle school was better!" his throat was hoarse with all the yelling he was doing now. "I'd only known those people for three years, it was easier to let go of them than never speaking to my sister again! Or dealing with the fact that my parents won't talk to me! That they don't even acknowledge my existence!"

"Middle school problems were a breeze compared to going home to an empty house every day! Dealing with middle school only added to the abandonment issues, or the anxiety, or the fact that one day, my entire family collectively decided I wasn't worth their time and decided to completely shut me out!"

"Middle school was nothing compared to being in and out of the hospital visiting my grandfather - the one supportive adult figure I had in my life, the one person who actually cared, only for him to die and leave me completely alone! But yeah, I'm clearly still hung up on all my unresolved Kitagawa issues! Trusting people means pain, that's all there is to it! There, do you know enough now?!"

He turned and ran from the gym and headed for home, ignoring the calls of his name from Sugawara and the Coach, and the distraught gazes of Yamaguchi and Yachi.

He knew he it wasn't their fault, he knew he shouldn't have snapped. His emotions had just been piling up for so long and he couldn't deal with it. He would understand if they didn't want him in the club anymore, and were most likely filling in the paperwork for his removal. It was bound to happen eventually, he was just glad it was over with.

He ran past Kindaichi and Oikawa, but he ignored them. They were the last people he wanted to deal with at the moment.

He locked himself in his room the second he got the chance. His breathing was heavy and uneven, and his muscles burned from the exertion, but he was finally safe. He collapsed onto his bed and screamed into his pillow. He let out all the rage, all the pain and all the sadness he was feeling; wanting nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

*

The entire gym was in shock after Kageyama's outburst, no one was really sure what to make of it. They'd never seen him show that much emotion, never mind cry. He clearly had a lot going on, and as his team they felt it was up to them to help him through it.

Hinata had sprinted after him the second he regained his bearings.

They did wonder why Oikawa or Iwaizumi had never said anything. Even if they didn't like him, if they had known what was going on, they should have made an effort to help, right?

Unless they didn't know, which given the fact it was Kageyama, was highly likely.

*

Hinata was panicking. 

He hadn't meant to upset Kageyama. He hadn't meant for things to go so far. He hadn't meant for Kageyama to react that way. He hadn't meant to make him cry.

He'd ignored Takeda's calls and followed the raven, assuming he was going to his house. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with him.

Damn, he can run fast when he wants to.

Admitting it left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth (after all, he was competitive) but he had more important things to worry about right now. He sped up so he could keep Kageyama in his line of sight, but he lost him as he turned a corner. Stupid Bakageyama and his stupid height.

A collision and a cry of "ow!" broke his train of thought. Hinata's head throbbed and he looked to check if the other person was okay. He turned and came face to face with two of Kageyama's old teammates.

"Turnip-head! Great King!" 

Oikawa covered his mouth with his hand, trying (and failing) to suppress a snort "Turnip-head? Is that what he calls you?" 

Kindaichi looked like he had just sucked on a lemon as he nodded. "He refuses to call me by mu actual name." They began conversing about that and Hinata was getting restless. He needed to get to Kageyama! But he waited, as he had no idea where Kageyama lived. He figured if anyone would know, it would be the two in front of him (even if he didn't really like them much after what they did to his setter).

"Where does Kageyama live?!" They halted their conversation and looked back at him, confused. They seemed to be processing his question. 

Had Tobio not told his team where he lived? That was strange.

"Did he not tell you?" Oikawa asked. Hinata shook his head. Kindaichi rolled his eyes.

"Just what you'd expect from the Tyrant King."

The mention of Kageyama's old nickname irked Hinata, especially with how much he hated it. Did they really think that little of Kageyama? Couldn't they see how amazing he was?

"Would you stop with that dumb nickname?!" Hinata was getting desperate. "No one cares about what happened in middle school anymore!"

Slightly surprised at the usually sunny boy's yelling, they looked to each other then back to Hinata. Did this have something to do with why Kageyama ran past them in such a hurry earlier? They voiced their confusion and Hinata nodded his head, glad they were back on topic.

"What happened?" Kindaichi questioned.

"We had a fight!" Not unusual for the two, so they waited for Hinata to continue. "I need to find him and apologize-"

Now that they thought about it, Kageyama did seem upset as he passed them. What could the fight possibly have been about? 

"It must have been a pretty big fight, he usually never runs away from a challenge."

Now, to Hinata, that sounded like they were calling his best friend a coward. He didn't entirely trust them, nut they were his only hope of finding him, so he kept his annoyance hidden a little longer. The fight had really had an affect on Kageyama, and it wasn't his place to spill Tobio's deepest fears and insecurities; especially since his old teammates were the root of some of them.

"It's none of your business! Now can you tell me where he lives or not?!"

At this point, h didn't are what the two were whispering to each other about, Kageyama could be having a panic attack for all he knew, and he wasn't there!

"Chibi-chan, you sound desperate." Oikawa was trying to rile him up, and Hinata just didn't have the patience to deal with him. "Was the fight you had with Tobio-chan really that important?"

The little patience Shouyou had left was thrown out the window.

"Look, he only ran off because the fight brought up all his pent-up anxiety and abandonment issues that you guys helped cause! So if you don't mind, I'd like to find my best friend and tell him he's not a complete waste of space like he thinks he is!"

They gaped at him, but he didn't care. All that mattered was getting the address from them, and as soon as he did, he was off.

*

Kindaichi looked to his captain in shock. The little decoy's conversation echoing around his head. 

Kageyama had run off because of memories of them? He couldn't trust his team with his address because of them? He knew they hadn't ended their junior high days with Tobio in the best way, but he had no idea it had affected the other so much.

He wondered what had started the fight. Of what Hinata had said, it had implied Karasuno didn't believe Kageyama trusted them. 

But he knew Kageyama, and he knew he trusted his team one hundred percent. 

It was easy to see, for he once trusted Kindaichi and Kunimi on and off the court. He tossed to them without hesitation, he made the effort to tailor each one to the hitter's abilities and preferences. He was always ready to set for them because he knew the ball would come to him. Did Karasuno not see that?

He supposed he was being slightly hypocritical, he himself hadn't noticed how much Kageyama trusted Kunimi and himself until after they benched him. At the time, he'd only been focused on how difficult his so-called "King Tosses" were to hit. He hadn't realized that Kageyama set to them with such ease, and had full faith in their play. He was always willing to send one more toss his way, to give him another chance to score. 

He had sent "King Tosses" because he had fully believed that they could hit them. All his friend (former-friend? Ex-teammate?) had wanted was to play volleyball. He had tried to help the team improve the only way he knew how, by sending his best sets. Kindaichi felt blind for not seeing that.

Kageyama had apologized for the way he acted in middle school, as if he had anything to be sorry for. It should have been their responsibility as his teammates and friends to help him understand that not everyone enjoyed volleyball as much as he did. But they hadn't, and now Kageyama believed they hated him for it.

Oikawa was perplexed. His kouhai never backed down from anything, especially not arguments with the shrimp. Their friendship was formed on a rivalry and the complete synchronization they had on the court. Hinata had mentioned abandonment issues, which had confused him. Was Tobio hiding what went on at home?

He had wondered if there was something Tobio was hiding from his senpai for a while back in Kitagawa. Tobio had never mentioned anything about his home life, he never mentioned family coming to see his games, and he never mentioned why it was always just him when they visited his house. Hearing Hinata bring up abandonment issues had helped him confirm his theory.

He just wished he had said something to him instead of being so caught up in trying to beat him.

"Captain," Kindaichi said, interrupting his musings "I think we need to make a call."

Oikawa nodded and dialed Iwaizumi's number. Kindaichi grabbed his own phone and texted Kunimi. 

They were going to find out what was going on. 

*

Kageyama jumped at the sound of frantic knocking on the door. He lifted his head and moved to answer it before deciding it could probably wait. His head was overflowing with thoughts of his team, his friends and his family; and about how he would never be good enough for them.

After his grandfather died, volleyball was all he had. He lost himself in the techniques and strategies, it grounded him. But after today, he was sure he'd lost his chance to play. He would have to go back to being alone again.

The knocking became louder and he heard a faint yell of "Kageyama, open up!" Was that Hinata? What was he doing here? Wasn't there still practice?

"The door's unlocked, I'm coming in!"

Next thing he knew, he had an armful of a sweaty Hinata crying into his chest. His apologies were muffled by Kageyama's practice jersey, and he was probably going to be covered in snot, but he couldn't find the energy to care as he gripped onto his partner for dear life. The fact that Hinata come all this way for him made something flutter in his chest. 

He didn't even care how the other knew his address.

They laid there together for a little while longer until Hinata's sniffling finally stopped. Neither made a move to get up and they just enjoyed each other's company for a while. Kageyama couldn't help but notice how right it felt to have Hinata curled up against him like that. 

"I'm sorry," Kageyama broke the soft silence that had engulfed the two.. "I shouldn't have run away today."

Hinata looked up at him, eyes red and puffy. "It was my fault, I shouldn't have pushed."

Kageyama sighed, sitting up so he was leaning against the headboard. Might as well acknowledge the fact that he had spilled the fears and emotions that had been buried deep within him for years to his team and coaches. Looking back, it probably wasn't the best choice.

"The entire team was really worried about you you know," Kageyama stared at him in disbelief. "Even Stingyshima tried to get a hold of you."

Tobio reached out a hand to check his phone. The screen flashed with several missed calls and messages from his teammates and coaches.

Huh. Maybe they did care about him after all.

"Why do you look so surprised?"

Tobio shrugged. It looked to Hinata like the concept of people worrying about him was completely foreign to Kageyama. It didn't sit well with him; Kageyama was amazing, like a precious gem, and Hinata wanted to share his partner's beauty and skill with the world.

Kageyama's arms found their way to Hinata's waist and the shorter ran his hands through his navy locks in return. They were unfairly soft given the fact that the setter hadn't even heard of conditioner before Yachi forcibly shoved a bottle into his hands one practice. He briefly wondered if Kageyama's lips would be as soft.

He decided, screw it, he was going to find out.

Leaning in, he gripped Kageyama's face in between his hands and dived in. The taller didn't push away, and his hands stroked his back. It was a state of pure bliss. They pulled away and just gazed at each other with grins on their faces and boy did Tobio look pretty when he smiled.

They laid there a few minutes more -Kageyama reading through the flurry of messages and reassuring everyone he was fine- until the loud ringtone of Kageyama’s phone interrupted the serene atmosphere and made them both jump.

The caller ID was all too familiar, a photo of him and Kunimi with their arms around each other; the name 'Akira' read at the top of the screen. 

(He never did change his name in his phone).

He glanced at Hinata warily before hesitantly clicking the green 'answer' button.

"TOBIO-CHAN!"

So apparently Oikawa was with him.

Neither teen really knew how to respond, and kept looking frantically from the screen to each other in an attempt to figure out what to say.

”Kageyama, we need to talk.” Was that Iwaizumi? “Let us in.”

Wait, let them in?

He rolled out of bed to look out of his bedroom window, and outside stood all four of his former teammates, all crowded around Kunimi’s phone. 

What the hell were they doing here?

Hinata chuckled nervously and explained how he’d run into Kindaichi and Oikawa as he ran after him. It then occurred to Tobio that Hinata must have spilled what had happened at practice. He frowned slightly in resignation. 

That was just fantastic.

“They must have called the other two,” Hinata’s eyes narrowed, “if they’re here to make fun of you I’ll beat them up.”

Kageyama snorted at the image of the tiny little decoy trying to fight the four and soon it was full-blown laughter. He couldn’t find it in him to be mad. Hinata looked awfully proud of himself for eliciting such a reaction from the usually stoic teen, so he must have either looked really attractive or really dumb.

He decided that at least Shouyou had his back, so he hung up the phone and made his way downstairs. 

He nervously opened the door to reveal the faces of the people he used to consider friends. They were looking at him in... concern? That had never happened before, he wasn’t really sure what to make of it.

He let them and in told them to make themselves comfortable. Before he could say anything, Iwaizumi cleared his throat.

”Tobio, we’d like to apologize for the way we acted in middle school.”

Okay, so he wasn’t expecting that.

”Why?” They didn’t have anything to apologize for. It was him who pushed them away in the first place. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Kindaichi sighed. “We shouldn’t have treated you like we did. There were hundreds of different ways we could have dealt with the situation, but we didn’t think and reacted selfishly. We’re sorry.”

He seemed genuine, but Tobio still couldn’t understand why. Why were they apologizing to him? He was the one to blame. They had only ever been accepting of him, and had treated him like a brother. He thought the world of them all; they had meant so much to him. He’d felt they were his new family, and had tried to make sure they knew it.

Was he really that bad at showing his emotions? Was it really possible they didn’t know all the good they had done for him?

He was the selfish one. He had let his emotions cloud his judgement and it had resulted in the team leaving. 

It had taken that to remind him how much his friends meant to him, and how much he’d screwed up. It was the last game they would ever play in middle school, and they’d thrown the match just to prove a point to him. He must have really hurt them.

And he told them that. He wanted them to know how much he’d learnt since then, how much he’d improved. 

He needed them to understand that he understood that he was in the wrong and was working to better himself. He told them that he was the one who was sorry because they hadn't done anything.

They seemed unsatisfied with the fact that he felt responsible, but didn't say anything in fear of breaking the fragile understanding they had achieved.

Strong arms gripped Tobio by the shoulders and before he knew it, he was trapped in the middle of a slightly awkward group hug by Oikawa and Iwaizumi. Kindaichi soon followed and Kunimi threw himself on top of them all. Even while his arm had gone numb under his upperclassmen's weight, Kageyama laughed. A joyous, carefree sound that none of them had heard since middle school. 

Hinata was dragged in at some point and soon found himself pressed up against Kageyama's chest. He stole a quick kiss before hurling a pillow at Oikawa's forehead. It took Tooru by surprise, but by the time he'd regained his bearings, Hinata had already dived for cover behind the couch.

A war broke out, Aoba Johsai vs Karasuno. They were merciless, using various chairs and tables for protection while chucking projectiles at one another. 

And suddenly there was no tension. It was just like old times. 

Iwaizumi, being the good senpai he was, joined forces with the Freak Duo to even the odds. 

(He ignored the offended "Iwa-chan!" from Oikawa at his 'betrayal')

It lasted for ours, and Tobio had never been happier. The family he once thought he'd lost had returned to him, and suddenly cheerful voices filled his life again. 

He didn't need his parents anymore. He didn't need his sister.

He finally had people in his life who understood him, and nothing had ever felt better. 

Even after the four left, their energy and personalities still lingered within the house. Oikawa and Kindaichi's chants and yelling, and the long-suffering sighs from Kunimi and Iwaizumi at the sight. The sitting room looked lived in, and he had a feeling he'd be using it again in the near future. 

He collapsed on one of the chairs with Hinata at his feet. His hands instinctively made their way to his hair and Shouyou leaned into his touch. 

"I'm glad things worked out for you, you deserve it." Hinata finally said, a blinding grin on his face.

It was then Tobio swore to himself he would marry this boy. 

Hinata, the one who he trusted completely both on and off the court.

Hinata, the one who followed him all the way home to make sure he was alright.

Hinata, the one who was always there for him.

Hinata. Kind, determined, obnoxious Hinata.

Because to Shouyou, it didn't matter if he was considered the King of the Court, or that he wasn't great at emotions, or that he had trouble adjusting sometimes. He had full faith that Kageyama would succeed in everything he did, and his genuine optimism was enough to motivate anyone. 

As long as Hinata was there, he was invincible.

**Author's Note:**

> Look this isn't great but the idea had been floating around in my brain for ages so I had to do something. 
> 
> *awkward shrug*


End file.
